AB115. 185. Concerns of patient’s attending a chronic pain clinic consultation

Background: Patient concerns and preferences should be incorporated into decision making processes and management plans of patients care. Concerns of patient’s attending chronic pain clinic consultations have not been studied previously.

Methods: Local ethics committee approval followed by written informed consent was obtained. Patients attending a pain clinic consultation for the first time were included (n=200) in a prospective study.

Results: The most common concerns were the illness itself (65%), inability to do things (36%), the future (31%) and physical symptoms (28%). Concerns about the illness itself, the future, job, finances and personal relationships were distributed evenly across different pain presentations. Patients with four or more concerns had significantly more anxiety or depression.

Conclusions: Identifying concerns of patients attending chronic pain clinics is important for management of these patients and effective communication.

Keywords: Patient-centered communication; concerns; assessment; pain clinic